Thursday, December 11, 2014

The NOID Opunita, it's my favorite plant in the garden (this week)...

Nothing says welcome like a pot of prickly cactus at the front door...

This is one of those favorites that I sadly don't have a name for. This group and many more scattered throughout my garden all came from a neighbors plant. She brought them to Portland from somewhere in the Midwest. The are extremely hardy, I've only had a few show signs of rot even after the wettest winter.

They do tend to flop a little in the wintertime, not a huge problem when they're in the ground (I either stake them upright or let them flop and root) but could be unfortunate when they're up in a container like this. It's a long way to the ground.

This last Halloween was a banner year for us, we had more trick-or-treaters than ever before. My favorite was a little boy who pointed at this plant and said "hey lady, where'd you get the cactus?" I still laugh when I think about it.

Normally I'd share the cultural info on the plant being featured, but since I don't know it's name...well...I can tell you there are opuntia hardy to USDA Zone 3. And there are cactus native to every one of the contiguous U.S. states (with the exception of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont) and northward into Canada. That's pretty cool right? Are you growing any opuntia?

Don't forget, there's still time to enter to win a string of pinecone lights from Gardener's Supply (click here) the drawing will take place on Saturday, Dec 13th.

28 comments:

I am growing two kinds of Opuntias, but I don't know their names. Two plants came from you, so you probably know what they are. They might even be the same as this one you've featured. They are doing really well. I have another that I got from Matthew at the plant exchange last year, so I also don't know its name.

What a cool cold hardy opuntia! I grow a few but my favorites are the nice smooth opuntia ellisiana, the one with long fur whose name I've forgotten, and a really cute little fat one that I got from Cistus.

Just this morning, in my frozen garden, was reflecting on how cheery yet alien-looking the Yucca 'Color Guard' is (despite being a form of native Y. filamentosa that seeds itself onto roadside banks here). And now you're making me feel remiss for having no Opuntias...

Have you seen the spineless variety? Perhaps they are not dangerous enough, : )!Opuntia ficus-indica 'Burbank Spineless' - Nopal ? They are pretty cool and easier when you are nopales. Chopped up cactus pads are good with scrambled eggs too. Here is a recipe http://www.mexicoinmykitchen.com/2009/06/how-to-cook-cactus-pads-nopalescomo.html

I have, and I was growing a couple good clumps in the front garden but they turned to mush after last winter's cold. That recipe looks tasty, and Shirley (the blog Rock, Oak, Deer) turned me on to the fact you can buy them already prepared (and perhaps cooked) in the grocery store, near where you'd buy pickled jalapeno. I think I'll try it! (and I am too much of a wimp to try and prepare my own. The thought of getting a glochid in my throat, well it's just too much.

Thanks to your largesse, I am growing one of this plant's babies after having lost the first one you gave me. I also have a 'Bunny Ears'. Both are growing in pots and spending the winter indoors after disaster struck both of their forebears. I'm not taking any chances.

Nice plant! It does look very healthy. I tried to start some Opuntia fragilis in a pot last summer, and it did just fine all the way through the winter. But it didn't like the freeze/thaw in the spring and my attempts to move it around and cover/uncover it during that time. If I try one again, I think I'll just keep them outside and let the elements do their thing. Cute comment from the Halloween kid.

I guess including the evil one, I'm growing three. The first one, I grabbed during our walk from your house to McMenamins during the Fling. Is that the same as the one you featured here? It seems pretty darn hardy. So, please teach an ignorant - are Opuntias cacti, or no?

Beautiful plant! I have one very similar (if not the same). My family was in Old Town San Diego, where they have huge cacti and agave around every corner. I was admiring one like this, as big as a garden shed, when I happened to see a small broken-off pad on the ground. On the ground! I looked around for cactus cops before I whisked it into my bag. I assuaged my guilt about picking it up by telling my hubby what bad shape it was in. I was RESCUING it. It was quite dried-out and I actually had little hope of bringing it back, but I put it in the hardening-over nursery for a bit (just in case) then planted it. It survived and now has a new baby pad growing out the top. I guess my thumbs aren't completely brown after all!

Hehe. Now I'll have to resist the urge to greet you with, "hey lady," next time I see you. I don't have any opuntias in my garden. I did recently get a Rebutia from a friend in North Carolina that has made it through some zone 7b winters. The body is purple and the flowers are orange!

Not growing any Opuntia yet but I love it. It's native here in upstate NY, Zone 6a. It can be seen growing along the road for miles & miles, sometimes in full bloom. It seems to be growing right on stone or sand and on a place where water drains quickly. I love all cactus & succulents but can only grow Yucca here, which I also love. Great front yard garden! The textures of all the different plants is great.Thanks for sharing.